


Hijacked!

by RachaelGold



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Adventure, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-11
Updated: 2018-05-10
Packaged: 2019-05-05 00:14:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14604900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RachaelGold/pseuds/RachaelGold
Summary: Chakotay is delighted when he has to give a presentation with Kathryn at a conference. He hopes to make a significant change in their relationship. But the journey there turns into a living nightmare. Can the most awesome command team in the universe defy the odds yet again?Setting: Post Endgame





	1. Chapter 1

Two whole weeks with Kathryn Janeway! Not quite to himself, but nearly as good as. Chakotay was ecstatic. He had hardly seen her in the three months since their return, and eventually he had realised just what a huge hole her absence left in his life. 

The debriefings had at first kept them busy. There had been a number of official functions they'd both had to attend, but his entanglement with Seven had dictated a certain distance between them, a distance that perhaps had been the first thing that had led him to question where his new relationship was actually going. By the time he'd answered the question honestly to himself, viz. precisely nowhere, Kathryn seemed to be embroiled in the media circus that followed their return. And by the time he had extracted himself from said relationship, to the mutual satisfaction of both parties, Kathryn wasn't even on the planet. 

He'd only had a few long-term relationships, none of them terribly compelling. Seska had turned out to be an utter disaster, destroying some of his faith in the whole concept of love. A number of others had simply fizzled out. There had been nowhere near enough spark for him to consider finally settling down. The one true relationship of his life, the only one that held the key to his happiness, had remained unconsummated. Despite that, Chakotay knew it was the one he had to pursue. Their lack of contact over the last weeks had brought his feelings into sharp relief. He loved her still, more deeply than ever, and at last he began to hope that he could finally do something about it. If ever there was a time for them, it was now. 

Of course, all he needed to do was to convince her of it, which was easier said than done, especially when the two persons in question hardly come within a light year of each other for weeks on end. Kathryn Janeway, to his utter frustration, quite simply didn't stand still. 

Which was why he was so delighted when the call came from Starfleet HQ requesting that they together present an account of their Delta Quadrant exile to an impressive gathering of dignitaries from over half a quadrant. There was to be a symposium involving representatives of over a hundred species on Ramnos V, and he and Kathryn were to give two half-day presentations as the principal guest speakers. Technically, they weren't the reason for the conference, however, they were brazenly heralded as the star attraction. Their presence was clearly adding to the weight of the gathering…delegates were now falling over themselves to book their places. 

Kathryn had already been in touch to discuss what material they might use, and what artefacts they would take to display, and he had busied himself with organising their transportation, which was only sensible as he was here on earth and she was...well, somewhere off planet anyway. Kathryn said she would make a start on the speeches, and they were both sifting through millions of images they had brought back with them. 

The only fly in the ointment was that she wouldn't be with him for the five day journey to DS9. She would join him there for a couple of days, and they'd do the final fifteen hour journey together in one of the specially laid on shuttles. Afterwards, she would travel the whole way back to earth with him. The conference would last a week…and they certainly would have some downtime together between all the talks, dinners and question sessions. There would surely be plenty of opportunity for him to broach the subject of taking their relationship that desirable step farther. He was excited at the prospect, and a little nervous too. For the first time in his life, he realised just how much of his future hung in the balance. His happiness lay in anothers' hands. Her reaction had the power to lift him forever, or devastate him completely. 

He pondered all this as he waited for her in Quark's bar. He had arrived earlier in the day, and had spent much of the time overseeing the unloading of the artefacts, and storing them ready for transfer to the shuttle to Ramnos. He'd written most of what he would like to say at the conference, but he wanted Kathryn to go over it. He dearly hoped she would do most of the talking. He didn't mind answering questions, particularly about the artefacts…that was his forte…but there were a number of nuances of protocol that she would be much better at handling. She was much more comfortable in the spotlight and would have a far better feel for what was fine in the public domain, and what was not. What things were safe, desirable even, to reveal and which others were better kept guarded. She was better at handling puffed up dignitaries as well, and at thinking quickly in diplomatic situations. If he was honest with himself, if hadn't been for the chance to be with Kathryn, he wouldn't have been looking forward to this event quite so much, but it was a small price to pay for two weeks of her almost undivided attention. 

He hoped she'd get there soon…in time for a relaxed dinner together before they were forced to get down to the nitty gritty of going over their preliminary notes. Quark came with a tray, and plonked down a blue Bolian ale in front of him. He idly placed his thumbprint on the bill, before taking an appreciative draught. 

He fidgeted under Quark's gaze. The Ferengi seemed in no hurry to leave, rather he was studying him with interest. 

"Not from around here are you?" 

"No." 

"You need some company. Would you like me to introduce to someone…male…female…I can guarantee you won't be lonely for long." 

Chakotay flashed his eyes at Quark impatiently. "No thanks. I'm waiting for someone." 

"That someone…would I be right in thinking…is a lady?" 

"Yes," said Chakotay with a huff. 

"Maybe you'd like to give her a gift. I have some charming Leosian bracelets, ten credits each. Beautiful things. Two for eighteen, but I'd be giving them away!" he said conspiratorially. "Shall I fetch some for you to…" 

"I'd rather have a white wine," said Kathryn rather firmly from behind Chakotay's back, in the sultry tone that yet again made his heart flutter. 

"Yes, ma'am," said Quark with a supercilious grin. "At once. And I'll bring those bracelets for you to…" 

"No!" said both voices in unison. "Just the wine," added Kathryn. 

"Kathryn!" said Chakotay, jumping up and embracing her warmly and risking a kiss to her cheek. "How are you?" 

"I'm fine. And you?" she said, joining in the hug rather enthusiastically. 

"Just great…now I've seen you again. You keep disappearing on us." 

"Sorry, Chakotay. They've kept me rather busy." 

They sat down opposite each other, and exchanged a few smiles. "You're looking good," he commented sincerely, deciding that their return had done much to ease the strain that used to haunt her eyes. She was growing her hair again, he noticed. It rather pleased him. 

"So are you." She wondered if there was just a hint more grey in his hair. It certainly leant him an air of distinction. 

"Have you eaten?" 

"No. I had a sandwich on the transport…was too disgusting for words. The coffee was worse." 

"Oh? Thought you'd be less picky after all of Neelix's better than coffee substitutes!" he commented, and was rewarded with one of her bone-liquefying smiles. "Good, so I can take you out to dinner then?" 

Quark delivered a white wine with a slight grunt. His eyes swept Janeway's face, as he wondered whether to offer her anything else on the side, and thought better of it. He recognised her rank, and decided she wasn't someone to tangle with. "Enjoy your drinks!" 

"Thanks." Kathryn turned back to Chakotay. "We've still a lot of work to do on our presentation." 

"We can spare a couple of hours surely. We can work later, and there's the whole of tomorrow before we have to leave." 

"Alright, Chakotay, you've sold me the idea." 

Over dinner they discussed Seven. He explained how they had quickly realised that they weren't right for each other, and this seemed to rather surprise Kathryn. He assured her they had parted amicably, that they were both more than happy at how things had turned out. He detected that she was rather sensitive about the matter, but this actually gave him some encouragement. He gave news of Tom, B'Elanna and Miral too, she gave news of Tuvok. He was recovering well. 

"It's such a long time since we've done this," he commented. 

"You were forever calling rainchecks on all my offers of lunch…" she complained. 

"I'm sorry about that," he said uncomfortably. He was rather embarrassed about his neglect of her in favour of Seven over the last few weeks of their journey. He guessed correctly that it had been the beginning of the fracture in their relationship. "I allowed myself to get rather distracted. Let's make up for it. We'll have some quiet meals together this week. Just the two of us." 

Kathryn smiled at him. She wondered if he was hoping for more than just a renewal of friendship…or had that moment slipped out of their reach long ago? "I'd like that." 

"I've missed this," he said, staring meaningfully into her eyes. 

"So have I," she said, meeting his gaze candidly. Her eyes sparkled with affection. Chakotay's heart skipped a beat. Maybe that elusive promise which had always hovered just below the horizon for them was finally in ascendance, casting its pale dawn rays across them. Maybe their time had come at last. He reached across the table and squeezed her elegant hand in his. 


	2. Chapter 2

"Ambassador Ladik," said the tall Vulcan bowing politely to Janeway, "And this is my wife, Tre'Pur." 

"I am very pleased to meet you, Ambassador…Tre'Pur," she said, nodding respectfully in return. "You are addressing the conference, I believe?" 

"I am indeed. I have prepared extensive notes on the prospects for peace in the Strindarian sector." 

"Good," said Janeway, "I'll look forward to hearing them." Ladik and his wife moved farther up the body of the cabin and took their seats in the second row on the right. 

Chakotay came up behind her and, without being asked, took Kathryn's hand baggage from her and lifted it into the overhead lockers. She threw him a grateful look. They were rather high for a person of her stature to reach. 

"Thank you, Chakotay. What would I do without you?" she smiled, stepping aside to allow a Klingon family, a couple with a young girl, pass. 

"Sit with it on your lap the whole way?" he grinned. 

"I hate these narrow-bodied transports. They're relics of some bygone century. They're no bigger than shuttlecraft, but there's what forty or more people on board? There's hardly room to swing a cat…" 

"Well…we can survive fifteen hours on this. The chairs look reasonably comfortable," he said, thinking that he didn't mind getting up close and personal with Kathryn for however long the journey lasted. 

"I'm afraid it's all President Fleek's fault," said a wide scaly humanoid sitting opposite them, a member of the Icurian race. "He insists on setting an example of moderation, having been elected on a platform of conservation of resources…" 

"Which is a very worthy cause. Ambassador Dreen," said Janeway with a huge grin, holding out her hand to the amphibious man, and shaking his paddle of a paw rather warmly. "What a pleasure to meet you!" 

"I see you've done your homework," said the man with a grin that suggested he was pleased to be recognised. "Admiral Janeway," he added slyly. 

"And I see you've done yours!" 

"Oh, it was hardly difficult, my dear. Your charming face has been on every newsreel for the last six months! And this must be Captain Chakotay," he continued turning to face the other man. 

Chakotay beamed, offering his own hand. "Delighted to make your acquaintance!" 

"Are you speaking as well?" Janeway asked. "I haven't seen your name on the list of speakers." 

"Not specifically, but I can assure you I shall be adding my voice to the weightier debates…" 

"I'm sure you will. Your opinion will be of considerable value. Well, I can see we are in honoured company…" 

"We are. That's President Fleek in the second row on the left, and Viceroy Rindor in the front row on the right." 

Janeway glanced forward. She caught a glimpse of the spindly underfed man identified as Fleek. All she could see of Rindor was a full crop of blonde hair. "Well, I shall look forward to making their acquaintance during the journey." 

"Excuse me," said a tall gruff man standing in the aisle, impatient to get past Janeway. 

"Oh…I'm sorry," she responded, as she stepped out of his way. The alien shoved his way past her. He had a greenish blue leathery face, reminiscent of the Hirogen, and just as surly looking. Kathryn raised an eyebrow at Chakotay, signalling her disgust at the man's rudeness. 

"What race are they?" she whispered to Chakotay, as they settled in adjacent seats. 

"Bridorian," he answered. "Rather taciturn and not very friendly. Not given to associating with other species." 

"Bridoria…that's in the Strindarian sector, isn't it?" 

"Yes." 

"Well, that explains why they're attending." 

At that moment a second Bridorian made his way down the aisle and took a seat next to his fellow alien. They didn't even appear to like each other very much…they hardly conversed at all. It wasn't until they were well on their way that Janeway noticed two more of them at the back. 

A young blonde haired Bajoran woman came down the aisle with a pleasant fixed grin plastered on her face. She greeted everyone with orders to all passengers to fasten their harnesses in preparation for departure. 

Kathryn and Chakotay settled comfortably into their seats opposite Ambassador Dreen, whose large bulk required both the seats opposite. The seats in the body of the spacebus were arranged in fours, two facing forward, two facing aft, with tables between to allow for eating or working. Even so, Kathryn was glad they had finished putting the finishing touches to their presentation the night before. She didn't think she would be able to concentrate here. 

She lifted her padd out of the side pocket of her seat. Maybe she'd get some reading done. 

Chakotay's leg brushed her knee. He always looked uncomfortable in standard seats. His long legs seem to go on forever, and gangled awkwardly. However, it was early in the journey and she wondered if he was doing it deliberately. 

She glanced down at where their legs touched and wriggled slightly, mainly at the tension generated by the contact. 

"Sorry," said Chakotay, moving his leg away. "Me and my big legs." 

"Chakotay…don't worry. It's fine." 

"Why didn't they make these darned things bigger? Some aliens that must travel on these things are ten feet tall!" 

"Because people like me would get swamped by chairs that big!" 

"Oh yes! I was forgetting! There are some rather diminutive people that are just too big for their own boots. They think they rule the universe!" 

Her knee knocked against his thigh in protest. Chakotay settled back in the chair grinning to himself. This was just heaven. Fifteen hours this close! He could practically feel the heat from her body. She fidgeted, pulling her legs slightly away from his. 

"What are you reading?" he inquired. 

"Arkander's glorg." 

"Classic twenty-second century literature?" 

"It is." 

"Heavy going though," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Wouldn't you rather chat to me?" 

Kathryn let the padd drop with a sigh, noticing that Chakotay's leg had surreptitiously migrated back against her knee, and was sending an alarming current of awareness streaking through her. 

"What would you like to talk about?" she asked, as nonchalantly as possible. 

"Well…I could give you a synopsis of the glorg if you like. Save you reading it." 

"Okay then. What's your opinion of Nicholas Velazquez then? Was he a misguided fool, influenced too easily by his friends and far too infatuated with his mother, or was he a misunderstood genius years ahead of his time?" 

"Ah well," said Chakotay uncomfortably, but pressing his leg a little closer to her knee and enjoying the contact rather too much, "Depends." 

"Depends on what?" she said, amused that he didn't appear to have an intelligent answer to the question. 

He looked at her earnestly, trying to keep a straight face. "Whether you managed to make it past the first three chapters," he said, bursting with laughter. 

Kathryn swatted him gently with the padd. "You haven't read it at all, have you?" 

"Only the first three chapters. Didn't understand a word." 

* * *

  


Chakotay was snoozing lightly, his head tipped very close to Kathryn's shoulder. She shifted in her chair and studied him closely. His black hair…it had grown a bit…was flopping carelessly on his forehead, his tattoo glistening in the soft light. Her eyes followed the familiar line of his nose to the soft full lips, and she felt a twinge of longing, as she wondered whether there was still a thread of hope for something more than friendship with him. After the way he had been acting earlier, she thought there was. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed movement. One of the tall Bridorians was raising himself to his impressive full height at the front of the lounge. This was not particularly strange. A number of passengers had been making trips to the washrooms in the rear. The first alarm bells started ringing when his mate stood up beside him, effectively blocking the aisle between them, and the other two Bridorians were doing the same at the rear. Kathryn's fingers instinctively hovered over her phaser. 

For a moment the four aliens stared at each other, then one of the ones from the rear made his way up the aisle. The two at the front allowed him to pass, and he moved onwards into the cockpit door. 

Quick as a flash, three of the Bridorians raised weapons, and the fourth blew the door off the cockpit. There had been no time for Kathryn to react, even if she could have done so single-handedly. 

"Hands on your heads. Nobody move and you won't get hurt!" cried one of the men at the front. 

The passengers were too stupefied to react quickly, and, as they looked around in horror, several shots rang out from the pilots' cabin. A number of people began to scream. 

One of the aliens took two steps forward and grabbed the young Klingon girl, yanking her to her feet. He thrust his weapon at the side of her head. "Shut it…or she's next!" Forty or so pairs of hands quickly appeared on people's heads, and the screaming subsided. "That's better," he continued, shoving the terrified youngster back into her seat. "Now, keep it that way." 

The alien took a few steps backwards, and suddenly two hands lunged out and upended him. Ambassador Ladik launched himself out of his seat to place his comparable height, although not bulk, in front of the second alien. 

"You are in contravention of article…" 

His sentence was never finished. There was a flash and a fizz, and the man's mouth opened and closed silently. He keeled backwards, as his wife rose from her seat. The Bridorian jabbed his weapon towards her, and she reluctantly sat back down. 

"He is my husband." 

"Not for much longer," snarled the alien. 

The sprawling alien got back to his feet, and glanced contemptuously at the man still on the floor gasping for breath. 

They yanked him back onto his seat, and his wife took the dying man into her arms. 

"The man needs medical help!" protested Janeway. 

One of the aliens marched down the aisle and towered over her. 

"Janeway!" he said, with a sneer. "I knew you'd be trouble." Chakotay stopped breathing. Why the hell did Kathryn feel the need to draw attention to herself? He knew her protest was futile. 

"Aren't you going to treat him?" 

"He'll be dead in a minute anyway, and so will a few more before we've finished. Now up you get! Hands in the air!" 

Janeway did as she was told, and the alien removed a plastic strip from a belt round his waist. He tied her hands together, so tight it cut into her flesh. She winced, but made no comment. 

Then he took an evil delight in frisking her all over. Thoroughly and intimately. He removed her belt and phaser, then marched her to the back of the cabin. There he slapped a hook onto the wall above her head, and attached her hands to it. He repeated the process with Chakotay, muttering that he wanted them both where he could see them clearly. Chakotay found himself attached to the wall opposite Kathryn. 

"Don't try anything, either of you, or someone will pay for it with their life." 

The aliens then methodically tied the hands of all the other passengers, although they were all allowed to stay in their seats. 

Once the passengers were secured, the aliens set to work on installing something on the bulkhead wall at the front of the cabin. The banging resounded in the eerie silence…the engines had been stopped soon after the hijack, and the warp core had been powered down. That meant no replicators, no transporters and life-support was only being maintained by the emergency back-up system. It didn't take Kathryn and Chakotay long to recognise what was being constructed. An anti-matter bomb. It had a clear panic-trigger beside it. 

Their eyes met. Both of them knew the chances of getting out of this alive were virtually nil, yet neither would give up hope, nor cease to be watchful for an opportunity to turn the tables on their captors. 

Three bodies were dragged unceremoniously down the aisle through to the rear cabin, those of Ladik and the two ill-fated pilots. Their bodies were deposited in a heap between two rows of sleeping bunks that lined the walls either side. 

Janeway shifted trying to ease the pressure on her sore wrists. Looking towards the front of the cabin she could make out the slightly bowed head of Tre'Pur, and knew without being told that the poor woman was meditating, stoic and controlled her grief. Janeway's heart went out to her. The Vulcan capacity to greet grief with dignity and control never ceased to amaze her, but she knew that the feelings were there, deep and turbulent. She kicked her heel against the bulkhead experimentally, making a dull thud. It was enough to draw attention to herself. Two of the Bridorians glared at her with narrowing eyes. 

A quarter of an hour passed, and then one of the terrorists made his way down the cabin with an imager. He took clear video of the secured passengers, particularly of the dignitaries, Janeway, Chakotay, and the rigged bomb. He also showed graphic footage of the three bodies in the rear. 

He came back up the aisle to where the leader of the group was waiting to speak to camera. 

"Greetings, men and women of the Federation. 

We, the citizens of Bridoria, wish to declare the treaty of Strind-Tachilior null and void. It was nothing short of an insult to our people. 

We are members of the Bridorian Resistance Movement, and we are, as of forty minutes ago, in control of flight XN417beta. We have secured forty-three hostages, including one child. As you are very well aware, we are in most honoured company. Amongst our guests are Viceroy Rindor, President Fleek, Ambassador Dreen, Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay. Ambassador Ladik has already been executed for his resistance. 

We intend to kill one hostage every two hours until our demands are met. You can consider Ladik the first. The second will be killed at 14.00 hours Federation Standard Time. 

If any ship comes within two thousand kilometres of our vessel, we will immediately detonate a bomb. The bomb is a type-E anti-matter device, capable of taking half a sector out with us. Please instruct any ships to maintain their distance. 

Our demands are as follows: 

One. All Bridorian prisoners held by the Strind forces to be released immediately and given transportation, without escort, to Bridorian space. 

Two. All Bridorian prisoners held by Federation forces to be released immediately and given transportation, without escort, to Bridorian space. 

Three. The provinces of Selar and Moshur to be returned immediately to Bridorian control. 

Four. All Federation and Strind forces and personnel to be immediately removed from Bridorian space with immediate effect. 

Five. The Strindarian sector to be renamed Bridorian sector. 

You have two hours to comply." 

The alien crossed his arms across is chest in a cultural signal of respect. "Long live Emperor Sqraw!" 

He nodded to the cameraman to end his recording, and the second alien lowered the imager. "Get that transmitted on all frequencies immediately!" he finished. 

Janeway exchanged a glance with Chakotay. "I didn't care for number five much!" she whispered sarcastically. 

"Me neither. They're pushing their luck with that one." 

"If they think forty-three hostages, however illustrious, are worth all those concessions, they're crazy. That's assuming that the Federation would negotiate with terrorists in the first place…" 

"Which of course, they won't." 

"Silence at the back!" yelled the chief Bridorian, striding up to glare menacingly at Janeway. 

"You're wasting your time. The Federation will never negotiate with terrorists," she asserted. 

"Freedom fighters," he corrected with a growl. "And if I want your opinion, I'll ask for it." He studied her with distaste briefly, before reaching out and running his leathery fingers curiously down the side of her face. "Fascinating! Humanoids are so ugly. Skin like worms…smooth and disgusting! Still, you are a more interesting specimen than most. I think you rather underestimate your value to the Federation, my dear. You may be right. We may end up in a ball of flames…but your loss…and that of the others here…will cause no end of repercussions around the quadrant." 

"Then why go to all this trouble? Why play this ridiculous waiting game? You might as well get on with it and blow us straight out of existence." 

"Because this little game buys us publicity. In twelve hours time, the known universe will be trying to figure out the justification for our cause." 


	3. Chapter 3

Her hands ached, and she was beginning to feel faint. The air was growing more foul and the temperature was dropping by the minute. She shifted her gaze and tried to focus on Chakotay's dear face. He didn't look much better, but he met her gaze levelly. He had half an idea she was planning something. It was in her nature to do so, and there was a plea in his eyes not to take any unnecessary risks, nor to aggravate their captors. He couldn't bear the thought of losing her, now they were home and so close to realising the dream of changing their relationship. Kathryn closed her eyes to his penetrating look. If an opportunity arose, she would take it. 

She kicked her heel against the bulkhead and coughed a few times, as several pairs of Bridorian eyes turned towards her. 

"You need to give us all something to drink," she told the nearest guard somewhat hoarsely. "Do you want them all fainting with thirst? Surely it isn't beyond your capabilities to hand out water? And blankets. You've let the temperature drop low enough." 

The alien stared at her with a scowl, but there was enough sense in her words to penetrate his animosity. He glanced hesitantly at their leader standing at the front, who simply nodded his agreement. The alien took himself off to the kitchen area at the rear, and came back armed with bottles, which he began to distribute. 

Finally, when all the passengers had been given a drink, he brought a bottle to Janeway and Chakotay. Their hands being tied to the walls, they could not take it from him, so he grudgingly held it to their parched lips. Much of the water spilled down their fronts due to his impatience, but it was enough to take the edge off their thirst. 

The captors also made another concession. A couple of passengers were allowed to the washroom to relieve themselves. 

The blankets, however, were not forthcoming, and, if anyone thought their captors were softening, they would soon be disillusioned. At 14.00 hours, they randomly selected a lone male human and dragged the terrified and protesting man to the front. If anything, the cabin temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and the stench of fear seemed to fill the air. Most of the captives had to close their eyes as the shot rang out. The man slumped to the ground, hit in the head and killed instantly. The whole event had been recorded to transmit to the universe at large. 

A few hysterical screams pitched into the silence, stifled immediately by threatening voices and weapons being thrust in the faces of those who were losing control. As a tentative calm was restored, a few smothered sobs erupted around the cabin and the body was dragged to the rear, leaving a thin red trail along the aisle. 

Janeway angrily clicked her boot against the wall. She was gratified to feel a slight loosening of the heel. 

Chakotay glanced at her, a worried look again clouding his eyes. 

She met his gaze, as if to say that they had to take a risk if the opportunity presented itself. He understood. There was no hope of getting out of this alive otherwise. They both knew the Federation would not be caving in to their captors' demands, and there was unlikely to be a barrage of Federation ships blazing to their rescue. This small band of forty or so defenceless fettered people was essentially alone. It was up to them to dig themselves out of this mess. They had to watch for any chinks in the Bridorian domination. Yet Chakotay also knew that Kathryn would go on a slimmer chance than he would, and that worried him profusely. 

* * *

  


"I need to pee!" she told the Bridorian staring defiantly into his beady eyes. 

"You're in no position to make requests!" he growled. 

"No…but if you ignore my problem, I might have an accident. The air is foul enough already, and eventually, even you wouldn't be able to stand the smell!" 

The alien snorted, hesitant as before. He glanced again at his superior, who nodded approval. 

He jammed his phaser into her neck, as he reached up to where her hands were anchored to the wall, releasing them, though they were still tied together. Janeway groaned. Her shoulders were so sore, and she wriggled them awkwardly to try to restore some flexibility. 

"Move!" ordered the Bridorian. 

The pins and needles stung her hands as she shuffled a dozen or so paces to the door to the washroom. She tried not to look at the heap of four bodies nearby. 

The alien kicked the washroom door open and shoved her inside. The room was not all that large, and three steps took her to just in front of the toilet bowl. 

She turned around and saw that the alien had placed himself squarely in front of the doorway and was leering at her rather coldly. 

"Enjoying the view?" she said sarcastically. She was pleased to see that he didn't miss her meaning, and his eyes blinked twice before he turned sideways to gaze down the passageway instead. This is the least confident of their captors, she thought. The most likely to hesitate or make a mistake. She should exploit this. 

With huge difficulty, she managed to shuffle her pants and underwear down to her ankles. She sat on the bowl, giving her heel a final click on the base. It had definitely loosened. 

When she had finished, she reached her tied hands down in an effort to retrieve her pants. As she squirmed about, ferreting amongst the pooled clothing, her fingers managed to delve into the remnant of her boot heel, and retrieve a small secreted phaser, which she quickly palmed. 

She watched the alien carefully. She had to get this exactly right. Some careful fiddling around with her fingers activated the weapon. She wriggled some more. 

The alien turned back to glare at her, and she looked at him piteously. "I can't manage to pull these up. You're going to have to help me here!" she pleaded. 

A look of disgust crossed his features, and he stepped forward into the washroom. Placing his weapon in a holster, he bent down to grab Janeway's pants, and it was the last thing he knew. There was a faint fizz as her phaser bored into his chest. It took her all her strength to prevent his body thumping loudly onto the ground. She lowered him, clutching at his straining tunic and he curled limply onto the floor. Holding her phaser firmly in one hand, she felt for a pulse in his neck with the other, eyeing the door warily in case any sounds had been picked up by the people outside. No-one came. She let out the breath she had been holding. 

Confident the alien was dead, she phasered through her hand ties, pulled up her pants and wriggled her sorry hands to restore their movement. Then she removed the alien's phaser. It was a more powerful weapon than the pitiful thing that had been secreted in her heel for so long. 

She pulled both heels cleanly from her boots…she did not want to hobble unevenly back into the cabin. Then she quietly broke off a piece of the mirror and wandered to the door. She used it to give herself a view down the aisle. She saw Chakotay, trying hard not to stare in her direction and draw attention to the fact that she was still unaccounted for, but unable to stop himself at times. He was worried about what was happening, and she knew it would be only a matter of time before the other aliens grew anxious too. He caught a faint glint from the shard of glass, and he knew immediately that she had extricated herself. She wondered momentarily if she could slide one of the phasers to him, but truly it was futile. Even if it got to him, he would not be able to pick it up. 

She waited. It could not be long before another of the aliens came to investigate. That, however, might provide her with her greatest opportunity. If she was extremely fortunate, she might be able to deal with another singly, though that might be too much to hope for. At the very least, it would mean another of the terrorists would be distanced from the bomb trigger. She knew she would have to down the aliens nearest the trigger first, and the fewer within reach of it the better. Whatever happened now, she knew she needed a heavy dose of good luck as well. 

But Kathryn Janeway always availed herself of more good luck than a whole fleet of Starship Captains. She had skated her way through the direst of situations through seven years in the Delta Quadrant, seizing the slimmest of chances and capitalising on them, escaping certain annihilation with seconds to spare on countless occasions. No matter that they had been stranded out there in the first place and lost some valued friends along the way, the mere fact of their getting the ship and the majority of the crew home had been a miracle in itself. 

They had arrived home in triumph, hailed as heroes, and she was damned if she was going to let a few Alpha Quadrant bullies get the better of her. Their only hope was to fight back, and now she had the beginning of a chance to do just that. 

Still she waited, hoping for a second lucky dime to fall into her hand. 

And, being Kathryn Janeway, she got what she hoped for. 

One of the aliens disappeared into the cockpit, obviously on a mission to transmit more gory footage or negotiate pointlessly with some distant officials. 

The other two aliens chose that moment to become suspicious about what was going on in the washroom. The leader said something quietly to the other, who responded verbally and then trudged his way down the aisle. He was coming for her at last, but, just as he reached Chakotay who stuck his foot out in timely fashion, he was sent sprawling onto the floor. 

It was all Kathryn needed. She leapt from the washroom and now had a clean sight-line to the leader at the front. Before the man's phaser was half-way up, she had blown his head from his shoulders in an explosive spray of green gore. 

The second alien struggled forward, but Chakotay kicked him again. He lost his grip on his own weapon and another passenger kicked it out of reach, so, by the time Janeway reached him, he was left with grabbing her feet and trying to defeat her with brute strength. She would have been overpowered, if she hadn't fired a shot down through his neck. He fell back, but it took a second shot to ensure he wasn't going to cause any further trouble. 

At the same time, the last alien had come bowling back from the cockpit, but, by the time he did so, the passengers at the front had seen the necessity of joining in the fray. Their hands were still bound, but there were enough of them to achieve something. They knew this was their only chance. Several blocked the route to the trigger, whilst the ones nearer the cockpit door tackled the charging man bringing him down. He was able to get off two shots, one hit an assailant in the leg, the other passed harmlessly over the heads of the hostages. 

Janeway marched down the aisle to where six passengers, including Viceroy Rindor, were sitting gleefully of the bulky alien. Shouts of happiness and applause were breaking out all around her. She quickly released the hands of several fellow passengers, to ensure she had some help if she needed it, before securing the hands of the captive. He was then dragged triumphantly to the rear of the cabin by several of the men and restrained on the same hook to which Janeway had been fastened. 

Kathryn followed them up the aisle and then reached up to release Chakotay. He stretched his sore and aching arms, whilst beaming proudly at his former captain. 

"Pretty impressive, Admiral. I see putting your feet up on that desk all day long hasn't made you lose your edge!" 

Kathryn grinned back. "Speaking of which… you were pretty useful with those great big feet of yours!" 

"All in a day's work…" Their eyes met, speaking their relief and affection for each other. Behind them people, with the exception of the grieving Vulcan, were jumping about in their excitement, hugging and kissing each other. The mood was infectious, and their natural magnetism for each other drew them inexorably together. His hand drifted onto her arm rubbing it affectionately, their eyes darkened with unspoken longing, the long seconds stretched heavily, the air sizzled expectantly. Suddenly, she was in his arms and his lips were on hers, affirming some long forgotten promise of devotion. Around them the cheers erupted into a cacophony of delight. 

Faintly embarrassed to have such an audience for this most precious of moments, Kathryn stepped back and shook herself out of her dreamy reverie. "Sort things out around here, Chakotay. Check that one's dead. I'm going up forward to try and get the warp core back on line." 

"Aye, Admiral," he responded mischievously, thrilled to the core at what had just happened. He smiled at her as she moved away, before bending over what remained of the third terrorist. 

Kathryn sprinted up the aisle, dodging the congratulatory hugs and slaps of the grateful passengers and entered the forward cabin. She steeled herself to ignore several bloody streaks, remnants of the carnage that had taken place here only a few short hours ago. The place was icy cold. She slumped in the helmsman's chair and wiped her sleeve across the console, smearing away some of the darkening gore together with a thin layer of ice crystals, her heart sinking at the silent unresponsive controls. All systems seemed hopelessly dead. 

Her fingers flew, as she keyed in her Starfleet override codes. She sat back in the chair, holding her breath, and waited. A few agonising seconds ticked by before one tiny yellow light flickered on and off. Then on again. Then another, blue this time. And another. One after another, a whole rainbow of lights lit up the console. The primary power system kicked in, and she felt a rush of fresh warm air spill into the cabin. 

"You beauty," she told the ship affectionately, clapping her hands once together as a celebratory signal that they were back in business. Woman and machine had come through for each other. Quickly, she keyed in the commands to activate the warp core. It would take about ten minutes to come fully on line, and while it did so, she contacted Starfleet to update them on the change of status of the ship. She was immediately congratulated and told to sit tight. They would have a rescue ship with them within two hours. 

She flipped the communications switch to the main cabin and relayed the news to the still celebrating passengers. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have just contacted Starfleet HQ, and they are sending a ship to take us on the rest of our journey. Its ETA is approximately 110 minutes. In the meantime, we have full life support and secondary power systems are coming on line. In just a few minutes we will be warp capable and…you will be pleased to know…replicators should be fully functional. So, I suggest you make yourselves comfortable while we wait." She leaned back in her chair, stretching her aching back, and smiled to herself at the cheers she heard filling the room behind the bulkhead. 

She didn't know she was relaxing just a little too soon. 


	4. Chapter 4

Back in the cabin, Chakotay had been busy untying all the hostages and seeing to their immediate needs. By now he was at the front, talking to the man with the injured leg, which had been treated with the med-kit. He knew that, with the correct medical treatment, he would make a full recovery, and he took his time reassuring the man. 

Chakotay couldn't quite believe they'd made it out of yet another scrape alive. How had he been so foolish to think that arriving back from the Delta Quadrant would mean an end to living life on the edge? However, something was niggling at the back of his mind. In the end it had been too easy. All too easy. 

Something that had been troubling him during the long tense hours of waiting resurfaced. How had the terrorists smuggled their weapons, and, more to the point, the materials necessary to make an anti-matter bomb on board? How had they got them past the rigorous scrutiny of the security checks? Only Starfleet personnel or Federation police had authorisation to carry weapons. 

They had to have had inside help. Given that both pilots had been shot dead at the beginning, and assuming it had to be someone on board, that left the two cabin attendants. The man was at the back, bending over Ambassador Dreen, clearly intent on making the man comfortable. The Ambassador had been terribly shaken by the ordeal. His gaze wandered back to the front, just across the aisle from where he was bending over the injured man, and the furtive movements of the blonde Bajoran woman alerted him immediately. She was dangerously near the trigger. 

Too late, he lunged at her, pulling her body to the floor and knocking the breath from her lungs. He saw the confusion in the girl's eyes, as her gaze strayed to the bomb. His eyes followed hers, and he realised that she had intended to activate the trigger. Moreover, she had expected it to have gone off by now. 

His eyes widened, as he spotted the flickering light deep in the mechanism. He'd never have seen it, if he hadn't thrown himself over the woman. 

"What the hell have you done?" he asked angrily, pulling her up and shoving her towards the aisle. "Secure her!" he ordered, whereupon several pairs of hands reached out and dragged her away. 

By now, the celebrations had stopped, to be replaced by a tense hush. All eyes were anxiously on Chakotay now. 

He knelt down again, and peered deep inside the mechanism. He dared not touch it for fear of a booby trap. He focused his eyes on the flicker of light…a set of eerie numbers, flying downwards, ticking away, silent and deadly, through a five minute delay. 

He shut his eyes, just for a moment, and drew a breath. Leaping up, he ordered everybody into their seats and launched himself into the cockpit. 

"We've got a problem!" he shot at Kathryn, diving into the co-pilot's seat. She raised an eyebrow. "The bomb…have we got transporters? We've got about four minutes left to beam it out of here…" 

"Not yet, we haven't," she responded, with a toss of the head. Instantly her fingers began dancing in a frenzy over the console. "Chakotay…I need every drop of power you can get me. Cut replicators, life support…everything." 

"You got it!" he barked, joining immediately in the frantic battle to bring the transporters on line. 

"How?" she asked. 

"The cabin attendant. The Bajoran. I realised too late they had to have had help. They never could have gotten past security otherwise." 

"Guess not." 

"Even she didn't expect the time delay. How are we doing?" 

"Fifty-five percent. We can't risk a botched attempt. Can it be disarmed?" 

"Unlikely. Probably booby-trapped. We've got one chance…the transporters…and we have to hope they don't set it off." 

"There's nothing we can do about it, if they do. We'll just have to sit back and hope for the best!" 

"And pray?" 

"That's your department." 

There was silence for a few moments, before Chakotay spoke again. "Kathryn…you know I was looking forward to spending some time alone with you. This isn't what I had in mind, though!" 

"Oh? What had you in mind?" 

"Something much more intimate…" he said, with a suggestive lilt. 

Her mouth twisted into a half-smile. "More intimate, huh? Sounds intriguing." 

"And much more exciting." 

"Not enough of an adrenaline rush for you?" 

"Not the right kind of adrenaline rush. There you go! You got everything I can give you…except the lighting circuits and artificial grav. Want them as well?" 

"Hold on…" 

"How we doing?" 

"Seventy-six percent. Time check?" 

"Two and half-minutes…give or take." 

"Give or take? Whatever happened to command precision, Captain Chakotay?" 

"I can go check, if you want." 

"No. I'll get Rindor in. He should be right by the door." 

"We can do this. I love you, by the way. In case you didn't know. Status?" 

"Eighty-four percent. And I did know." 

"How do you feel about that?" 

"I kinda like the idea," she smiled. 

"Glad to hear it." 

Kathryn flicked the intercom switch and asked Rindor to come in with a time check. 

Only a few seconds later, Rindor put his head around what had been the door. "Two minutes three seconds!" he announced, unable to keep the anxiety from his voice. 

"It'll be enough!" Janeway assured him. "Get everybody strapped in their seats, facing forward. Ensure all tables are retracted into the floor and loose objects are removed and stored away in the lockers. It's going to be a bumpy ride!" 

"Yes. Yes!" he responded with relief, and disappeared to do as he was told. 

"Ninety percent," said Janeway, eyes on the controls, "And, by the way, I love you too. In case you didn't know." 

"I didn't know. I kinda hoped," he said with a smile, but there was no time for the leap of happiness this might have precipitated. "We can't keep doing this!" 

"No." 

"The first available opportunity…the first official we come across…we're getting married. Any objections?" 

Janeway's eyes slipped sideways, and a half-smile graced her lips. "Not from me." 

Chakotay beamed at her. "Good. That's settled then. By the way, you didn't tell me how you got the better of that burly Bridorian in the washroom." 

"Let's just say he left this life with a unique perspective on the universe." 

"You're not going to tell me?" he asked in mock indignation. 

"Maybe later. Play your cards right and I may be persuaded to reveal all. Ninety-seven percent. Time?" 

"Eighty-five seconds." 

"Easy. Why are the bad guys always so ugly?" 

"I don't know. It's like some divine power put it in the script. Kathryn, I think you should take some of the bulkhead…in case of booby-trap. It would lower the chances of setting it off." 

"Might destabilise the structure of the ship." 

"The lesser risk, I'd say." 

"I agree. Locking on. Chakotay, set co-ordinates for maximum distance." 

"On it. A thousand kilometres." 

"Let's hope it's enough." 

"It's got to be. I'll send it aft. That way the shock wave will propel us forward." 

"Good thinking. We have full transporter function. Are you ready for this?" 

"It's now or never." 

"Time?" 

"Sixty-three seconds." 

"Let's do it." Chakotay watched her intently, as she took a deep breath and steadied herself. Sweet heaven, he loved this woman. She reached her right hand forward purposefully. "Initiating transport…now!" Her finger hit the mark, and they held their breath. Nothing happened. They smiled at each other. Nothing had happened! That was exactly what they hoped for. 

"Hah!" both of them laughed in relief. 

"We make a formidable team." 

"We're not out of the woods yet," she warned. "Divert all power to shields. Get the windows screened. There'll be a blinding flash." 

"Screens coming up," he said, unnecessarily, since they could see them emerging from the bottom of the windows in front of them. "Shields at seventy percent and rising." 

"I'm taking a look out back. I want to be sure that damned thing's gone." 

"Aye, Captain. I mean Admiral." 

Kathryn levered herself out of the chair and headed into the main cabin. There she was overjoyed to see a gaping hole where the bomb had been. So far, so good. 

She surveyed the passengers. They were nearly all strapped into their seats which had been swivelled to face forward. The Bajoran conspirator was strapped into a seat at the back. The alien was still attached to the wall, but she wasn't going to move him single-handedly. He would have to take his chances where he was. 

"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, addressing a swathe of apprehensive faces, "in about fifty seconds the bomb will go off and there will be a bright flash. The screens should protect us from much of that. About ten seconds after that, we will be hit by a shock wave. 

Please remove any loose objects from your person and secure them where they cannot do any damage. 

Ten seconds before detonation…Viceroy Rindor, could you give the warning?" The man nodded. "I want you to brace yourselves. Sit up with your backs and necks straight, as far back into your chairs as possible. Your knees together and feet tucked slightly behind. Place your head in contact with the headrest and your hands crossed over your chest. The force will hit us from the rear, so we want as little relative movement between your heads and the seats as possible. Is that understood?" The sea of frightened faces nodded at her. At the back, she saw Ambassador Dreen struggling with his harness. The man looked panicked. His massive paws made inefficient work of the clasp. 

"Are we going to be killed?" asked a terrified voice. 

"I won't pretend we aren't in danger. It's going to get very bumpy for a while, and we will be thrown around, but I want you to stay calm and hang on in there. I have every confidence we will get through this. Okay everybody?" 

Kathryn took herself down the aisle, squeezing the shoulders of a couple of passengers in reassurance, before stopping in front of Ambassador Dreen. 

"You must calm yourself, Ambassador. Look straight at me! Everything is going to be just fine, I promise!" 

The man's eyes locked into the composed depths of Kathryn's and some of his panic subsided. 

"Now, push back into your seat and take a deep breath!" He obliged, unable to resist her compelling orders, and she quickly tugged the harness together and snapped it over his extensive bulk. 

"Ten seconds to detonation!" came the Viceroy's voice. "Assume crash positions everyone!" 

Instantly, she felt someone ploughing into her, and pushing her into the seats behind. 

"For God's sake, Kathryn, are you determined to get yourself killed?" cried Chakotay, strapping her in what had hours before been her seat for the flight. "Before I ever get a chance to make love to you?" 

"And miss out on the night of my life?" she commented, as he threw himself into his seat. He clicked his harness into place, and she reached over and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Not a chance! We're getting out of this!" 

"Well, you always were unbelievably lucky!" 

"We were always unbelievably lucky," she corrected. "Shields?" 

"Eighty-two percent and rising." 

"I'll take it." At that moment, a light penetrated a few chinks in the screening announcing the detonation of the bomb. Kathryn and Chakotay sat up straight with their heads nestled into the cushion of the chair and placed their hands across their chests. 

The cabin fell quiet, as people counted through the seconds in silence. There was just a whimper from the young Klingon girl, and a reassuring murmur from her mother. 

Wham! The craft was propelled forward on a massive shock wave, ramming the unfortunate passengers at rocket force back into their seats, squeezing the very air from their lungs. The ship shuddered, the seats shook. There were alarming creaks and moans from the hull, as they were buffeted about. Lights flashed on and off. Stomachs were sent spinning, blood pressures see-sawing, as gravity seemed to wrap around them. The pressure began to ease off about fifteen seconds into impact, but both Kathryn and Chakotay knew to wait a bit longer before trying to exit their seats. 

The spin of the craft and the fluctuation of the lights and gravity were of concern to them. It was clear to their experienced minds that the magnetic pulse from the detonation had knocked the ship's systems haywire. A faint whistle and a flow of air also suggested breeches in the structural integrity of the ship. 

After the force began to diminish, Kathryn counted to twenty before she was confident the worst of the rush was over, and undid her harness. Gravity was still spinning around the ship, so she had to scramble her way along the corridor, clasping the edges of the seats and trying hard not to kick anyone. Chakotay followed her, wishing profusely they'd stayed in the forward cabin. 

By the time she rolled through the gap in the cockpit door, the pilots' seats appeared to be on the ceiling. She waited patiently for things to come round again, before launching herself back into the pilot's seat. She fumbled with the harness, she had to strap herself in before everything turned upside down again. 

She looked at the console, flashing lights completely at random and her heart sank. She was going to have to switch it all off and re-boot it completely. And hope to God it came back on again. She idly noticed a crack in one of the screens as Chakotay strapped himself into the co-pilot's seat with considerable difficulty. 

"I'm going to have shut everything down!" 

Chakotay nodded. "Structural integrity is failing." 

"I know. Now tell me the good news!" She paused, before adding, "Got a flash-light?" 

"No," he commented, looking round. He noticed a tool-box in a side panel and ripped the cover off. Rummaging around he found what he was looking for and clipped it onto his wrist. With the flick of a switch, it sent a beam across the console. 

"Here goes," she said, and suddenly everything powered down, the lights went out and few screams penetrated from behind them. 

"What now?" 

"We count to ten, we re-initialise and we pray." 

"Pray? Thought that wasn't your style?" 

"I guess I can make a few compromises now we're a team again." 

"A damned formidable team." 

"I'll agree with that in a few seconds' time. Shine that light over here." Chakotay spilt the beam over the console near her hands, and Kathryn began keying in her Starfleet codes for the second time. "Come on, baby, we've done this once…we can do it again," she coaxed. That familiar old friend, the little yellow light flickered, sooner and more decisively than the first time. 

They both laughed, as the lights came back on all around them, and stabilisers kicked in to slow the spin of the craft. 

"We're one hell of a formidable team," she concluded. The red lights flashed to indicate breeches in the hull, but already the systems were responding to orders to seal them. As the rush of air ceased, they knew structural integrity had successfully been reinforced. "Get back there and see if everyone's alright, while I contact HQ and update them on our status." 

"Yes, boss!" he said severely, as he prised himself out of the seat. Gravity was just levelling off in the right direction, so it didn't prove too difficult to make it back into the main cabin. Here the bewildered faces of the passengers were just beginning to register that the ordeal was finally over. The spacebus was coming back under control, the fissures were sealed and life-support was coming back on. 

He made his way up the aisle, checking on the people and accepting their cheers and warm congratulations. He then found three strong men to help him move the injured Bridorian and secure him in a seat. 

When he was satisfied all was well with the passengers, he made his way back to the pilots' cabin to report to Kathryn, and found she was still talking to some distant official by the name of Admiral Wingrove. 

"Ah, here is Captain Chakotay. He can update you on the condition of the passengers," he heard her say. 

"Congratulations on an exemplary job, Captain Chakotay. I would like to extend our profound thanks and admiration on behalf of the Federation. You have saved many lives today, not to mention sending out a clear message to would-be terrorists that the Federation is not to be messed with. You should be very proud of your achievements today." 

"Thank you, sir." 

"How are your fellow passengers?" 

"I am pleased to say there are no further casualties, other than detained Bridorian, who has broken both arms." 

"That's good news. I take it you have him firmly secured?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Good. Good. Well, the _USS Cormorant_ should be with you in about forty minutes, and I can assure you they will do everything within their power to make you comfortable for the rest of your journey. Perhaps you would like to relay the information to your fellow passengers?" 

"We'll do that, sir. Admiral, I presume there is someone aboard with the authority to conduct a marriage ceremony?" 

There was a long pause the other end. "Did I hear you right?" 

Kathryn looked at Chakotay wide-eyed. "I think you did!" she commented with amusement. 

"Admiral, I'm rather tired of trying to catch this woman between our only too frequent brushes with death! I'd like to get a ring on her finger before the next bad guy tries to blow us up! So if you could arrange for the Captain to meet us as soon as we transport aboard..." Chakotay said lightly. 

"Well," said the voice, "I'll get right onto it. I'm sure Captain Fergusson will be more than delighted to oblige. I'll let you know. Wingrove out." 

Kathryn stared at Chakotay. "Chakotay, you want to marry me like this…sweaty and covered in blood? Boots in shreds? Hair a mess?" 

He threw her a penetrating look. "Kathryn, I want you…just as you are right now. The clothes aren't important. You're beautiful to me. And I don't want us to waste another second apart." 

Her eyes blinked away the moisture and she smiled. "Okay," she said with a toss of the head. He took a step towards her and enfolded her in his arms. Gently, respectfully, and with a profound sense of relief, their lips met. The kiss deepened and, after a few seconds, their tongues melded and they revelled in their first unhurried and unobserved contact as lovers. 

They broke apart, and she rested her head on his chest. 

"Besides, I plan on getting you out of those clothes pretty soon afterwards." 

"Do you now?" she asked, as their lips met again, ferocious now. 

Viceroy Rindor came in carrying two glasses of champagne for the heroes of the moment. Someone had figured out the replicators were working. He stopped in his tracks on seeing the passionate embrace playing out before his eyes. 

"Ahem!" he protested and the prospective lovers sprang apart. "I've brought you some champagne." He handed them both a glass. 

"Thank you." 

"There are a lot of people out back who'd like to say something to both of you…if this is an appropriate moment." 

"Oh, I think it's as good as any. Tell them we'll be right out." 

Rindor nodded happily. "Good," he said and left. 

Kathryn and Chakotay grinned at each other in the first real moment of peace they'd had. He clinked his glass against hers. "To the most awesome team in any quadrant." 

"And any theatre." 

"Time to expand our horizons. Ready to tackle the romance thing head on?" 

"More than ready," she answered, her eyes sparkling more brightly than the champagne. 

They both sipped at their drinks, allowing a few moments of silence. 

"This is probably not a good idea on an empty stomach!" she commented. 

"Probably not." 

"I might do something reckless...like agree to marry you." 

"You might at that. Very reckless. But, my dear, you excel at reckless." 

"I do, don't I?" 

"Shall we tell them the good news?" he asked, nodding his head towards the main cabin. 

"About _the Cormorant?_ " 

"And the welcoming committee. Think any of them will want to volunteer as witnesses?" 

"Oh…only about forty of them, I should think." 

"They're certainly in the mood for a party. So long as they don't expect us to stay. I can't answer for the public spectacle I might make of the both of us, if I don't get you all to myself pretty quickly." 

"Public spectacle, huh?" she said, as they drew into another fiery kiss. "You mean more of a spectacle than this?" 

"Yep," he said, hardly able to pull himself away. "I can hardly wait to get you out of that filthy uniform. You really are a disgrace to your rank, and I really am going to have to order you to take it off, Admiral." 

"And there's me thinking I gave the orders around here." 

Another passionate kiss followed, as both bodies began to hum with arousal. Neither was doing a very good job of containing their physical response to the contact. "I sure hope you're not tired, Admiral Janeway," he managed. 

"Not for what you have in mind," her earthy voice vibrated in his ear. It was exactly the tone that would frequently send shock waves slamming through his body, melting everything in their path, leaving him faint and heady with desire. 

"Spirits," Chakotay whispered breathlessly, clutching her tightly to his chest and scarcely able to stay upright, "that rescue ship had better get here soon. There's a potentially explosive situation developing here, and it's about to go critical!" 


End file.
